A joke about ham, a death threat and a wave of manufactured outrage.
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Malaysia’s comedians say the nation is galloping into a cancel-culture that will soon push satire and social commentary off the stage – and the political classes share the blame.
In the latest eruption of outcry, it was the turn of stand-up comedy pioneer Harith Iskander to face the whiplash of Malaysia’s increasingly censorious social media.
Harith, a 58-year-old Muslim from southern Johor state who is considered the “godfather” of Malaysian stand-up comedy, was hauled up by police and religious authorities for questioning last month after making a joke about ham on Facebook.
In a January 18 post, he jokingly suggested that the word “ham” in the name of an iced coffee drink – ham sap kopi – could “lead me down the wrong path in so many ways”.
The joke riffed on a recent controversy over “ham” sandwiches for sale with fake halal certification at a popular convenience store. Pork is haram – prohibited – under Islamic customs and critics were swift to detect an apparent insult to Islam.
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